Congratulations, Gino!

Gino Mancini, Controller at Sponge-Cushion, recently celebrated 42 years of dedicated service to L&P.

Gino started at L&P in 1981 as a General Accountant. In 1986, he was promoted to Controller and has held that position since. We asked Gino to share about his time with L&P and the lessons he’s learned.

What have you enjoyed most about your career?

I’ve enjoyed working with and getting to know many people along the way. Everyone has a different background and environment they come from, which is not only interesting but helps in understanding the person. Also, with the help of others, I’ve enjoyed being able to solve some of the daily problems that arise. There’s a certain satisfaction in that.

What has been the most valuable lesson that’s added to the longevity of your career?

I’ve always tried to be transparent and straightforward with others. When you have no hidden agenda and remain consistent, it helps smooth out the highs and lows.

What advice would you give your younger self about life and business?

Stuff happens! Try to be as prepared as you can and as flexible as possible. Life and business will present you with situations you didn’t expect, so know they’re coming.

How have you seen Leggett change over the years you’ve been here? 

Leggett & Platt has been a consistent and well-run company, which is something to be admired. In recent years, there has been more focus on employees and social issues, which has been great.

Do you have plans to retire, and if so, what will you miss the most about your time at Sponge-Cushion? 

At the moment, I don’t have a specific date set, but I can tell you it’s close! I’ll miss the consistency, the interactions, the challenges, and the adrenaline rush of dealing with a hectic day. At the same time, I look forward to seeing what the next chapter in my life brings.

Please join us in congratulating Gino on this incredible achievement!

Apr 10 2023
By Life@Leggett

World Health Day: Health for All

April 7 is World Health Day and also the 75th anniversary of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) founding. Each year, the WHO selects a theme for World Health Day, and this year’s theme is Health for All—a message that promotes health equity and taking action to ensure that everyone can have good health.

Understanding the challenges communities face is a step towards being able to enact change. To broaden your knowledge of health-related issues and topics, check out these fact sheets from the WHO.

Apr 07 2023
By Life@Leggett

All Work and No Play? Not Today!

April 6 is International Fun at Work Day—a day to remind ourselves that work doesn’t have to be a fun-free zone.

Studies show that having fun at work enhances communication, collaboration, and productivity. We spend a lot of time with our coworkers, so let’s make it fun! Here are some ideas for you to try with your teams:

  • 👀 Two Truths, One Lie — Ask them to prepare two facts and one lie about themselves. Each person takes a turn to say their two truths and one lie without revealing what’s true and what’s not. Ask your coworkers to guess what’s true and what’s false.
  • 🔁 Would You Rather — Ask them a would-you-rather question. Here are two questions to get you started: 1. Would you rather sing every part of your work presentations or perform an interpretative dance of your presentations? 2. During work meetings, would you rather stand on one foot or sit on a child-sized chair?
  • 🍵 Tea Time — Schedule some time to share a drink or snack with your coworkers and catch up on life.
  • 💻 Group GIFs — This idea is great for virtual teams. Give your coworkers a scenario and ask them to respond with a GIF. Ask everyone to choose their favorites.
Apr 06 2023
By Life@Leggett

Earth Month at L&P

It’s Earth Month! At L&P, we are committed to fostering a culture that cares about our planet and providing sustainable solutions for our customers. Throughout the month of April, we’ll be sharing our efforts to be responsible stewards of the environment and communities where we live and work.

Our Commitment

The continued success of our company is built upon the culture and values of our nearly 20,000 employees who are dedicated to creating innovative and sustainable solutions, ensuring a safe and inclusive workplace, and driving value for our shareholders.

Our commitment to corporate sustainability reflects and reinforces our culture and our values. Our businesses are building sustainability into product development processes and designing products for improved durability, recovery, and recycling at end of life. We ensure compliance with environmental regulations everywhere we operate and engage employees in the development and implementation of sustainability and environmental programs.

Ideas for Celebrating Earth Month

If you’re looking for ways to care for and appreciate our planet, check out the following ideas:

  • 🧹 Community Cleanup — Notice a lot of litter around your community? Consider talking to your local government to see if a litter cleanup program exists and how you can get involved.
  • ♻️ Composting — Help keep waste out of landfills by turning your food and yard waste into compost that can be added to your yard’s soil. To get started with composting, check out the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Composting At Home resource.
  • 🌿 Appreciating Nature — In our busy lives, we may forget to notice nature’s beauty and all it provides. Take time to reconnect with nature by watching a nature documentary, going for a walk, visiting a park, or checking out what’s in your own yard.
  • 🛍️ Reusable Shopping Bags — Instead of using plastic bags at a store checkout, consider purchasing or using reusable shopping bags to help keep plastic out of landfills. You can also make your own reusable shopping bags.
Apr 03 2023
By Life@Leggett

Sackner Achieves Safety Milestone

Our Home Furniture branch in Sackner, North Carolina, reached a tremendous safety milestone: 500 days without a recordable accident. We talked with Branch Manager, Joe Dishman, about the achievement, the safety culture at Sackner, and how this milestone supports our company value of putting people first.

Who made the 500-day safety milestone possible at Sackner?

This achievement takes every person at the branch to work safely, report near-misses, and safety suggestions, so we can continuously improve. Everyone must be engaged in the process to make this happen.

What is the safety culture at Sackner, and what kind of safety trainings does your branch perform?

One of the most important aspects of our safety culture is making sure every employee is aware that they have the right to shut down equipment that they feel is unsafe and bring it to their supervisor’s or manager’s attention. We also have a safety board at the time clock which displays safety, first aid, and near-miss information on it. This board also has an LED spotlight that can change to flashing yellow in the event of a near-miss to help bring awareness to the incident.

Weekly Toolbox Talks are led by supervisors and operators. We also have a monthly safety team meeting comprised of management, supervisors, and production employees. Employees are rotated in and out, so everyone has a chance to be in the team meetings.

How does L&P’s value of Putting People First contribute to this safety milestone?

Sackner has around 50 employees, so every employee knows each other well. We know about others’ families, friends, interests, and hobbies. When our employees feel more like family, then we all want to look out for each other and keep each other safe.

At Sackner, employees volunteer to share why safety is important to them. Their quote is made into a banner and displayed in the facility. It adds a familiar face to the safety messages.

What does the 500-day safety milestone mean to everyone at Sackner, and do you have a future goal in mind?

We are very proud of this accomplishment. Since we run three shifts, seven days a week, we do have some days when operators are working without management or a supervisor presence. Sackner’s safety program speaks for itself through these great achievements.

Our goal is to drive to zero, meaning zero accidents. The next milestone we are quickly approaching is 2 years accident free. In the meantime, we will continue to keep safety at the forefront of our culture.

Congratulations to the entire Sackner team!

Mar 31 2023
By Life@Leggett

Employee Spotlight: Carey Zuidema-Gray

During the month of March, we’re inviting women at L&P to share about work and what makes them proud to be women in the workforce.

We’d like you to meet Carey Zuidema-Gray! Carey has been with L&P for 16 years and serves as Quality System Engineering on our team in Lakeshore, Ontario, Canada.

Tell us about work.

I report to the Quality Manager in Lakeshore and provide support to the L&P Automotive branches in North America. I’m always continuing to learn and grow, even after 16 years.

I really enjoy working with our L&P family to maintain and improve our management systems and celebrate our success. I enjoy these rewarding opportunities and experiences. 

What makes you proud to be a woman in the workforce?

I am proud to be part of a dedicated and professional team where I am valued and appreciated for the individual that I am!

What does International Women’s Day mean to you? 

This day gives me the opportunity to focus on, acknowledge, and appreciate women and their achievements. What would we do without our esteemed colleagues, beloved mothers, daughters, and wives, dear sisters?

And, I want to note that when it comes to sports, women and girls have got it all. I think women’s sports are thriving, and there are many reasons for this. Most notably, it’s because of the success of women’s teams and athletes in tournaments globally!

Mar 29 2023
By Life@Leggett

Employee Spotlight: Damaris Velazquez

During the month of March, we’re inviting women at L&P to share about work and what makes them proud to be women in the workforce.

We’d like you to meet Damaris Velazquez! Damaris has been with L&P for almost seven years and is a Senior Programmer Analyst based in San Luis Potosí, SLP, Mexico.

Tell us about work.

I’m a Senior Programmer Analyst for the iScala team. In this role, I develop new LPscala projects, and I support current programs to help users do their daily work.

On a typical day, I work on projects that are assigned to me, and if a user reports an issue or has questions about LPscala or iScala, I research and find the solution to their request.

I really enjoy the opportunities to talk with people around the world, learn new things every day, and challenge myself to find better solutions for users.

What makes you proud to be a woman in the workforce?

It makes me proud to find solutions that make user activities faster or easier within different branches.

Also, I am proud of being able to match my work, family, and personal roles to achieve my professional and personal goals, and I am proud to be an inspiration to my daughters.

What does International Women’s Day mean to you? 

Women’s Day shows us how strong and capable we are. It teaches us that gender is not decisive for standing out in the world and that the most important thing is to have determination, drive, and desire.

This day is a constant reminder of the motivation and drive that all women have to get ahead, grow, create, motivate, and evolve.

Mar 27 2023
By Life@Leggett

L&P Table Design Wins Top Award

Roxanne Willard, Demand/Office Manager at Carthage Spring (Branch One), recently used her talents to design a centerpiece for the Leggett & Platt table at the Carthage Chamber of Commerce’s annual banquet. Her creative design won the banquet’s top award!

Her table design incorporated elements that were representative of and inspired by Branch One. For example, the denim-like material used for the cat’s vest, place mats, pillow, wall covering, and box spring were all used from scrap materials. The brick wall resembles the wall from the original Branch One building built in 1883.

“My goal was for our community to understand what we do at Branch One,” she said. “I was very proud that I represented Leggett & Platt to the best of my ability, and it paid off!”

Congratulations, Roxanne!

Mar 24 2023
By Life@Leggett

Employee Spotlight: Laiza Cardoso

During the month of March, we’re inviting women at L&P to share about work and what makes them proud to be women in the workforce.

We’d like to introduce you to Laiza Cardoso! Laiza recently joined L&P as a Plant Accountant for our branch in London, Ontario, Canada.

Tell us about work.

My day is full of numbers, spreadsheets, forecasts, and balancing accounts. I work with other departments and people from different branches to ensure our numbers are correct.

What I like most about work is that while I do my job and complete my activities, I can count on a team who is available to help one another.

What makes you proud to be a woman in the workforce?

I feel honored to be part of a great company. I believe that I have this opportunity, not only because I sought to study, work, and learn, but also as a result of the fight for equality.

What does International Women’s Day mean to you? 

International Women’s Day represents the strength, beauty, and sensitivity of women who, from the beginning, have fought for their families and for their positions in society.

Mar 21 2023
By Life@Leggett

Celebrate Happiness!

Today is International Day of Happiness! Here are a few things you can do to celebrate and promote happiness.

😄 Smile. No matter your culture or language, a smile is universal. Sharing a simple smile can make a difference in someone’s day.

😄 Laugh. Not only is laughter contagious, but it’s also good for you! Laughing releases endorphins, which make you feel good.

😄 Have fun – it makes time fly! We’ve all heard the saying, “time flies when you’re having fun.” Science proves it’s true! When we are happy and having fun, our brain releases a hormone called dopamine, which makes our brains perceive time to pass faster than it has.

Mar 20 2023
By Life@Leggett
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